The Georgetown Metropolitan

This past Sunday, DC held its first ever Open Streets event along Georgia Ave. from Howard University to Petworth. For the event, the city completely closed the road to cars from 10 am to 2 pm. Even the cross streets were car free. For those few hours, you could walk three miles along Georgia Ave.–enjoying dozens and dozens of tents, vendors, and events–and not once have to look over your shoulder for a car. It was a wonderful experiment for how a city can be when you take cars out of the equation. Continue reading →

Photo by Ian Stedman.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Georgetown isn’t the only place where other neighborhoods try to steal their thunder.
• Some more info on the new chocolate shop coming.

Montrose Park

A lot of people know that Dumbarton Oaks is beautiful in the spring. But GM likes to issue this annual reminder that it’s also quite lovely in the fall:

Dumbarton Oaks is well known for its spring displays of incredible seasonal bounties. But people often overlook how spectacular the acres of gardens are in the fall. Hurry up and catch it now before it’s gone.

But here’s just a taste. The wildflowers of the Herbaceous Border are breathtaking:

The rest of the garden is at that magical moment when the gardeners loosen their grips and the plants give off one more explosion before the winter:

Continue reading →

Photo by Ian Stedman.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• An Orange Theory gym is moving into the old Noodles and Co. space up by the Safeway.
• A new “fiber arts” home goods shop, Scilla & Luna, is moving into the old Cross MacKenzie gallery at 1675 Wisconsin Ave.

Photo by Ian Stedman.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Kevin Plank’s mansion is back on the market for $24 mil.
• GU students press for the school to offer reparations to the descendants of the enslaved people sold by the university.

Dumbarton Oaks

Dumbarton Oaks

If you’ve passed Holy Rood Cemetery just north of Georgetown recently, you may have wondered what the large construction is about. The construction is part of an ambitious plan to save the crumbling cemetery and bring it into use again.

The cemetery has a strong connection to the Georgetown community. It was the final resting place of generations of Catholic Georgetowners. It is also the location of one of the largest cemeteries for free and enslaved African Americans. It was first established by Holy Trinity Catholic Church in 1832. The church maintained it until Georgetown University took over control in 1942. Burials declined sharply. Only a handful of individuals who had purchased plots decades before were allowed to be buried there into the 1990s. In the 1980s, the university explored removing the graves and developing the property. That never came to pass.

But in the meantime, the cemetery turned to ruins. Grave stones were broken and toppled all over the property. GM criticized the university harshly for their disgraceful custodianship of the cemetery over ten years ago. (GM has hardly the only party criticizing GU). And to the university’s credit, they finally came up with a plan to restore the cemetery, which was announced last year. Continue reading →

Photo by Thomas Hawk.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Here’s a great chance to see the classic Nosferatu film with live pipe organ playing.
• Great article on Stachowski’s and its Buffalo, NY roots.